Apr 29
The Union Cabinet has approved Smart Cities Mission in 100 Cities and also cleared the old housing projects initiated by the previous government. The decision in this regard was taken at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi this morning. The Smart City project was announced in July 2014 in the current government’s first Union Budget last year.
The Cabinet also gave its seal of approval to continuation of the minimum pension of 1000 rupees per month in perpetuity to pensioners under Employees’ Pension Scheme, EPS, 1995 beyond the financial year 2014-15. Currently, it is effective only upto March this year. It approved corresponding grant of continuous annual budgetary support for implementing the minimum pension which will be to the tune of 850 crore rupees per year on a tapering basis. Providing a minimum pension of one thousand rupees is an effort to provide meaningful subsistence to pensioners who have served in the organized sector. The present proposal is likely to benefit approximately 20 lakh pensioners under EPS, 1995.
The Union Cabinet gave its nod to amendments to the Prevention of Corruption Act. The proposed amendments will fill in perceived gaps in the domestic anti-corruption law. It also help in meeting the country’s obligations under the United Nations Convention Against Corruption more effectively. The proposed amendments are mainly aimed at laying down more stringent measures to tackle corruption. The bill provides for more stringent punishment for the offences of bribery, both for the bribe giver and the bribe taker.
It is also proposed to extend the protection of prior sanction for prosecution to public servants who cease to hold office due to retirement and resignation. AIR correspondent reports the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in August 2013. The Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee submitted its report on the Bill to the Rajya Sabha February last year but the Bill could not be passed.
The Cabinet also gave its approval for amending the Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2014. The Amendments will do away with the requirement of filing a declaration by a Company before commencement of business or exercising its borrowing powers. The amendments also seek to rationalise the procedure for laying draft notifications for exemptions to various classes of companies or modifying provisions of the Act to ensure speedier issue of final notifications. These amendments will address issues related to ease of doing business and put in place a speedy process for approval of draft notifications.
The Cabinet also approved introduction of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill, 2015 during the current Session of Parliament. The proposed legislation is aimed at providing an appropriate institutional mechanism, both at the Centre and in each State and Union Territory, for expeditious utilization of amounts realised in lieu of forest land diverted for non-forest purpose.
The Union Cabinet also gave its approval for the conversion of two additional battalions of the Sashastra Seema Bal for the National Disaster Response Force and for strengthening existing NDRF battalions. The objective of the conversion of these two additional battalions of SSB into NDRF battalions is to provide response to the area of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh during any natural and manmade disaster and to enhance the capability of the existing NDRF battalions. The placement of two NDRF Battalions at Varanasi and Arunachal Pradesh will fill up the vast gap of deployment of the NDRF.
The Cabinet also cleared introduction of the Merchant Shipping (Amendment) Bill, 2015. It also approved accession to the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004 of International Maritime Organization. Ships fill their ballast tanks with water to stabilize vessels at sea for maintaining safe operating conditions throughout a voyage. Ballast water reduces stress on the hull, provides transverse stability, improves propulsion and maneuverability and compensates for weight. However, ballast water poses serious ecological, economic and health problems due to the multitude of marine species being carried in the process, including Harmful Aquatic Organisms and Pathogens.